Methods for Collecting Data

Why Should I Care?

The scientific method depends on the quality of data that is collected. How scientists measure phenomena is really important if they want their analysis and conclusions to be credible.

As a student writing papers in college, you need to understand some of the jargon, lingo, and specialized language used in the papers you are going to read and cite. Be careful not to write about research results you don't understand fully.

This lesson has 4 parts

• The Methods
  
• The Instruments
• Methods and Instruments
  
• Objects of Measurement
  

What are Methods for Collecting Data?

There are actually several techniques, or research methods, for collecting data. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is important to understand this because it will affect the conclusions of the study. If a scientist wants to be respected and considered, they must be careful to use the correct research method, and to use it well. If not, the knowledge gathered in the research process will be useless, and maybe even harmful.

A research method is a convention between scientists to use certain data collection instruments in specific ways to observe phenomena related to human characteristics, production, behaviour, and interaction. The method includes identifying relevant variables, establishing a research question, and defining how to measure the variables.

This course is not designed to teach students how to collect original data, such as how to design an interview, or an experiment. However, students in this course need to know a little bit about these methods to understand what they might be reading. If you wish to learn more about methodology, we recommend you follow a Research Methods course in your college or university.

• The Methods
  

Social Survey
a research technique that obtains information from a sample of individuals by asking questions and analyzing the responses

Experiment
A study where techniques are used to isolate, control, and manipulate the major variables in a hypothesis.

Field Work
Research that involves studying social phenomena as they occur in the real world, naturally, without intervention.

Unobtrusive Measurement
The use of physical evidence, nonparticipant observations, and archival or documentary evidence without the knowledge of participants.

Content Analysis
The systematic analysis of ideas, themes, images, etc. in media.

Available Data
The use of data which has already been collected by another group, such as a dataset from another scientist, from a governmental agency, a private research firm, a corporation, or a public organization. 

Case Study
Research focused on one case of interest that is studied in great detail.

• The Instruments

A data collection instrument is a tool used to collect data, such as a questionnaire, an interview, a laboratory, note-taking, and audio-visual recordings. We also include the observation of artifacts, landscape, and the physical world, as well as the analysis of human production such as media, and art.

Questionnaire
a written set of questions organized in a sequence appropriate to the purpose of a survey, or psychological test.

Interview
a loose set of questions, mostly designed to produce an open-ended conversation.

Laboratory
An artificial environment where a scientist can control stimuli (independent variables) to observe the cause-and-effect relationship.

Pilot-project
A small scale field experiment that helps an organization test a new idea, program, policy or product.

Recording
Includes note-taking, audio and video recordings of surroundings, landscape, objects, architecture, etc.

Other important terms

Artifact
a physical object made by a human being, often embodying cultural or historical interest.

Primary Source
First-person account of events or phenomena. From the horse’s mouth.

Secondary Source
Histories and Analysis of events based on primary sources.

Case
An object of interest, such as a person, an organization, or an event.

• Methods and Instruments
  

Consider the instruments to be tools in a large tool box. Scientists can pick and choose any instrument to conduct their research. However, the type of research they do dictates the kind of instruments they are likely to use. For example, anthropologists are very much likely to use the Field Work method, in particular using the Interview as their preferred instrument.

Survey
Questionnaire / Interview

Experiment
Laboratory / Questionnaire / Interview / Recordings

Field Work
Recordings / Interview / Artifacts

Unobtrusive Measurement
Landscape / Artifacts

Content Analysis
Documentation / Media

Available Data
No new data collection / Downloadable databases / Institutional Reports

• Objects of Measurement
  

Social scientists are interested in many many kinds of phenomena, and variables. In the following table, you can see a list of types of objects that can be measured in a study. You might find a paper on family violence, and expect variables to be measured on that topic, but the study will probably also include other variables, such as personal characteristics, ideologies, or perceptions, so that a complete and thorough analysis be conducted.

The table also provides an example of the variable that could be measured, and whether it's the kind of variable you could measure with one of the five methods (cells are drawn grey).

For example, the only way to obtain a serial killer's personal motivations for murdering innocent victims, would be to interview the person in their prison cell. It would be useless to try to observe the person without talking to them, and a formal questionnaire would probably lead you nowhere. However, if the serial killer has left memoirs, letters, or written statements, these can also be analyzed using the method of content analysis.

Types of objects and the research methods

Type of Object	Example	Survey	Exprmt.	Field Wrk	Unobt. Meas.	Content Analysis
Personal Characteristic	Hair colour
Socio-Demographic Characteristic	Religion
Opinion	Politics
Motivations	Murder	Interview
Ideology	Philosophy
Biases / Prejudice	Discrimination
Preferences	Marketing
Personal History / Background	Genealogy
Family Dynamics	Violence
Cultural History	Settlement
Perception / Self-Perception	Anxiety
Aptitude /Ability	High jump
Behaviour	Funny
Level of Knowledge	School test

NOTE - This table is not meant as definitive evaluation of research methods, but for indication only. Scientists are free to use the methods and instruments as they see fit.